


Divide

by CrystalMoon884



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adult Language, F/M, Fantasy World, Gen, Magic, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Swords
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:23:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9686765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalMoon884/pseuds/CrystalMoon884
Summary: The Kingdom of Zeta is the most powerful Kingdom on Earth after the Kingdom of Theta had a civil war in which their prince and royal family were killed. Left to pick up the pieces of their once powerful kingdom, citizens of Theta fled to nearby Zeta, the kingdom that became the most powerful kingdom after Theta fell.Almost twenty years into the future, the heir to Zeta throne is taken off guard by the appearance of demons who wish the rule the Earth, and want his help to achieve their goal.Hell is relentless with their attacks and sends their best fighters to deal with the humans who live their petty lives without knowing of the existence of a large network of demons under their noses.Meanwhile, the Deuthish family of shapeshifters is fighting for their right to stay out of Zetian politics and losing their battle for their rights.Right in the middle of the battle for the lives of everyone on Earth, the heir to the Thetian throne has come back, ready to take down whoever he needs to bring his kingdom back to its former glory.The demon in charge of Hell's takeover has just one order: Divide them to conquer them. Divided they will fall.





	1. Lynn

Once upon a time. . . 

 

    There was a kingdom, a wonderful kingdom, that was rich and thrived off of gold and silver. Everyone, from the lowest servant to the riches lord had gold and riches. All of the people had enough food and lived happily. No one went hungry, and no one was unhappy. But in this kingdom, there was a prophecy.

 

     One day, the prince of the kingdom would would be taken over a dark and evil spirit that lived within his soul. This spirit would be the total opposite of what the prince was in his soul. This creature would be dark, evil and deadly. A being that would strike fear into the hearts of men.

 

     The way that the kingdom would know that the prince was the one with the evil spirit living within his soul was he would have discolored hair, a color that no one else within the kingdom would have that would be unnatural to humans but natural to spirits.

 

     When this prince was born, the king and queen were afraid of what would happen to their kingdom, and they locked him away from anyone else for years and years, shutting him away in a tower where no one would be able to talk to him.

 

     By his parent’s request, he wasn't told about his royal lineage and he didn't know he was cursed. He lived with an old man who cared for him until his death when the prince was only ten years old.

 

    After this caretaker died, the price decided to live alone after burying his only friend he had ever had in his life. That was when a new friend came to visit the prince. Soon this new friend moved in.

 

     The prince's new friend was just like him. But while the prince had bright green hair, his friend had deep black hair with deep blue eyes while the prince had bright green eyes. The prince was overjoyed to think that there was someone else like him in the world.

 

     The prince's friend knew that he was to one day be crowned king if he could use the prince to help him get into the kingdom.

 

    The kingdom had a powerful warlock who protected the place from the Anti Prince (whom the people of this great kingdom named the evil spirit that was born with their prince), and the warlock’s spells were too powerful, and the Anti Prince couldn't get through they without the the prince.

 

    The two grew up as brothers and called each other brother instead of names. Names had no meaning to them, they only needed to know that they needed each other and they loved each other.

 

    One day, friendship wasn't enough for the Anti Prince, and he wanted the kingdom and the rest of the world under his rule.

 

_ This _ is when the true story starts.

 

 

“Lynn! Get up, you shouldn't be sleeping!” A voice jolted Lynn out of her sleep, causing her to fall off of her bed and onto the ground. “You have things to do, young knight!”

 

    Lynn groaned, pulled herself off of the floor and onto her feet. She stretched and looked around her small bedroom, peering at herself in the mirror that hung on the wall of her bedroom. Her adopted mother was making breakfast in the next room, Lynn could hear the banging of pots and pans and plates. Food was enough incentive to get Lynn out of bed in the morning.

 

     Lynn ran a hand through her long light blonde hair. She pulled it in a ponytail, happy to have it out of her face and neat and tidy. She changed out of her nightgown by pulling it quickly over her head and changed into a shirt and pants with leather boots, ready for whatever the day might throw her way.

 

     She ran out of her room, happy to be able to have Esme’s food again in the morning. Esme, whose light brown hair was falling over her shoulders and onto her formless dark green dress, was trying to juggle taking care of the eggs and bacon and baking bread at the same time.

 

    She was doing a great job so far and nothing had fallen onto the floor or been burnt. Lynn stood hovering above the table, unsure if she wanted to sit down or if she wanted to run over to Esme and help her.

 

    “Lynn, dear, sit down and have something to eat before you leave.” Esme said, giving Lynn a soft smile. “You have to eat something to be able to kick the asses of all of those dumb boys who think that they're better than  _ Lynn Kay _ .”

 

      “Thank you, Esme,” Lynn said, feeling better about sleeping in. “I will make you proud, I promise.”

 

      “Sweetie, your strength is enough for me to take pride in.” Esme said, sneaking a hug out of Lynn before running back to make sure the bread didn't burn.

 

     Lynn took some of the scrambled eggs on her plate and then wolfed down some bacon along with them and ran out the door, waving behind her back at Esme before Esme turned back to her bread. Lynn quickly ran in the direction of the castle, almost disappointed that she had to make the trip on foot. Lynn and Esme did live close to the castle, but Lynn still would have liked to ride to the castle each day.

 

      Lynn was ready for the day, whatever it might bring. Running through the streets that were crowded with people and animals. She dodged merchants and children playing games that they had made up. Dogs and chickens were everywhere underfoot, and one had to try have hard not to trip on one.

 

    Lynn had no problems with this task, she dodged the people and animals with no trouble at all. She lept over a group of chickens while she ran, her footfalls steady on the gravel road that stretched out under her feet.

 

     The castle of Zeta soon came into view. Guards in their heavy uniforms swarmed around the palace, protecting the young prince that lived inside. He was to be coronated soon, and the kingdom would once again have a proper king and not just a group of advisers.

 

     Lynn ducked under a large cart that was going too slow for her taste, causing the horses to freak out and their master to yell out a string of curses at the young knight. Lynn didn't spare the man a single glance or rude word, she was only focused on not being too late for the day's training.

 

      There were only a few more feet before the castle came into view, Lynn was almost saved. They hadn't started roll call yet, since there were still guards with black pendants on duty. All she had to do was make it a few more -

 

      Lynn was pulled violently away from her destination by someone's fist on the collar of her shirt from behind.

 

     “You're late, little miss Prodigy.” A voice hissed into Lynn’s ear.

 

     “Hello, Jaxson.” Lynn said, hanging her head. How had he caught up to her again? Had she not run fast enough for him?

 

     “Don't ‘hello Jaxson’ me.” Jaxson snarled, turning Lynn around so that they were face to face. He sneered at her, pleased to have found something she had done wrong, yet also angry that she was wasting his time. For a captain of the Royal Guard, he loved to see his people fail.

 

     Jaxson was an ugly man who was only a few years older than the prince, but he had already had many bastards, he had been married no less than three times. Each marriage had ended with the young girl either running away or committing suicide.

 

     “Jaxson, I'm sorry.” Lynn said, lying through her teeth. “I really didn't mean to sleep in late. I had a rough day yesterday.”

 

     “As did I, Prodigy.” Jaxson said, using his favorite nickname for her. He hated her, but then again so did most people Lynn met. “I couldn't find a single girl who was willing to spend the night with me, so I had to go back to Astrid.”

 

    Astrid was a poor girl in the village who had had two of this bastards, both of them were now living with her. Astrid was only twenty, but she was known for her beauty and for her loyalty to one man at a time. Jaxson still hated her, because he made her spend time with his daughter and son.

 

     Lynn remembered meeting Astrid once. She was sweet, and had brought Lily  (Jason's daughter) to practice one day. Lily was two years old then, and Lynn guessed that she was closer to five now. Her brother was only three.

 

      Jaxson looked at Lynn with pure disgust for a second, before flinging her away from his body.

 

     “Get out of here, Prodigy.” Jaxson growled. “Just make sure that you know what you're not getting any more free passes. I just really don't have the patience or the time to deal with you right now.”

 

     Lynn nodded and begrudgingly saluted to Jaxson and then ran inside the castle gates, knowing that she would see him in just a few minutes for roll call.

 

    Jason's nickname for Lynn wasn't untrue, the prince had chosen Lynn out of all of the applicants under the age of twelve to join the royal guard when she was ten. Seven years later, and she was still the best of the best. The prince adored her, and wanted to make her his personal guard.

 

     Some said that the only reason that she had been chosen when she was young was because the prince, who only a year older than her, had a crush on her and had chosen her because of it. Lynn knew that it wasn't true, and she kicked the asses of anyone who spread that dumb rumor.

 

     Lynn ran to roll call, running into the castle gates and then running into the side courtyard. The entirety of the royal guard of the kingdom of Zeta (or just ‘Zeta’ for short) was gathered in the left courtyard, just like every morning.

 

     Lynn ran until she was standing in her place, near the stage on the right side. Next to where the prince was, on the days he cared to show up.

 

      Technically he should be here all the time, helping to train the royal guard. Most of the time he was sleeping in and spending his time doing whatever it was he liked to do with his hours of free time. Soon the days of having nothing to do would be over and he'd had a kingdom to run. He was spending as much time out and about as he could.

 

     Which was odd, being as he was here at the meeting today.

 

     Lynn finally was standing in her place, and was gasping for breath by the time she was standing where she needed to be. The other royal guards around her were giving her strange looks, they clearly didn't like it when the ‘Prince's Prodigy’ wasn't on time, since it made all of them look bad if the best of the best was late. They feared what it would say about the Royal Guard as a whole.

 

      Jaxson was standing up on the stage (a wooden platform raised about one foot off of the ground) next to the prince and the prince's main advisor.

 

      “Hello,” Jaxson said, his voice carrying across the whole of the courtyard. “Today I have something very important to announce, and it has to do with Prince Mark.”

 

     Jaxson stepped back, allowing the prince to step forward and take his place center stage. Mark looked somewhat nervous, as though he really didn't want to be here right now. He ran a hand through his hair and was almost magically ready to take on the world.

 

     “Hello, royal guardsmen.” Mark said, his voice was clear and bold. “It is very nice to be here today. I came to tell you that I'm going to run a little. . . Obstacle course of sorts to choose a candidate for a very important job.”

 

    A murmur ran through the crowd after Mark had stopped talking. Lynn saw her fellow royal guards talk excitedly about what could be happening. Some thought that it was for the job of the prince’s personal guard. Others thought it was just a test to rise above their stations and get promotions and prizes of money and honor.

 

     Lynn didn't know what to think, only that she really wanted to win. She needed to. She was going to succeed, to rise above her place as a peasant. She was going to get a better life for herself and Esme.

 

      The prince looked down at Lynn, locking eyes with her. Lynn managed a small smile, and Mark returned it. 

 

      “I can only allow some of you enter, sadly.” The prince said, looking only somewhat remorseful. “I only need one person for this job, so the pool will be cut down to only thirty guards.”

 

     An angry murmur went through the crowd this time. Lynn got a few dirty looks from the youngest and oldest of the guards. Most in the ranks of the royal guards didn't like her, and it sometimes seemed to Lynn that she had no friends.

 

     Mark looked down at Lynn again, and this time some of the other royal guardsmen noticed. Lynn knew that she'd have a few asses to kick once this meeting was over, the rumors were starting again.

 

     “If you care to enter, please stand in the right field.” Mark said, making his voice as loud as he possibly could. “The first thirty guardsmen there are going to be entered. May the odds be in your favor. And play nice, you are all on the same team here for defending Zeta.”

 

    Lynn watched as the guardsmen looked at each other, confused. Lynn knew that since the guards weren't dismissed, they couldn't really go. They were supposed to be well trained and well mannered. That meant acting only on orders.

 

    That didn't stop her.

 

    She suspected that there was a reason the prince had just told them to run to the right courtyard and then not dismiss them. He needed someone bold. And Lynn was nothing if not bold.

 

     She began to walk briskly towards the right courtyard, all of the other guards followed her with their eyes. She then broke into a run when she reached the far end of the group of guards.

 

     She began to run across the front courtyard, and then into the right courtyard. She could hear a few other footfalls behind her, but some guards were still waiting to be dismissed by the prince, like they had been taught they should do since day one.

 

      Lynn was the first one there, and she could see that there were three towers made out of wood that were sloppily built placed around the right courtyard. Not only that, but training weaponry was everywhere and there were trainers (Royal Guards who had committed crimes and were forced to be dummies for sparring matches) standing around the towers.

 

     Lynn had no idea what was on top of those towers, she just knew that she wanted whatever was up there. It was the key to getting chosen, and getting chosen would make her well known enough to one day be the captain of the royal guard.

 

     Picking up a training sword from the ground (a wooden sword with a light, metal hilt) she ran to the closest tower. She was shadowed by a few trainers and fellow royal guards.

 

    The first trainer she met was guarding the front of the tower. He was a large and burly man, but he wasn't as fast as Lynn. Lynn had her speed on her side, and she didn't hesitate to use it to her advantage in every fight. 

 

     She swung her sword in a wide arc, hitting the trainer on the shoulder. He lunged at her and she slipping under his legs easily, laughing as she did. He turned around just as she got ready to kick him in the face, and she succeeded in her effort.

 

      The trainer back pedaled and Lynn kicked his right leg out from under him. He landed on three guards who were trying to storm the tower before Lynn could get into the tower to take the key that was no doubt in side of it.

 

    In the twenty feet from the fight scene to the tower, there was a ring of guards trying to take down a large group of trainers who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here right now.

 

     Lynn ran around the group, not wanting anything to get in the way of getting to the top of the first tower. The wooden tower seemed stable enough to hold Lynn’s weight and she ran up to the top as fast as she could.

 

    “Hey, Prodigy, anything up there?” A male voice called up the stairs to the tower and Lynn felt her skin crawl. She glared down at a young man who was only a few years older than she was. His green eyes and black hair made him look handsome, but he clearly was trying to steal the prize away from anyone who might win. He desired not to do the work himself, but to steal the glory from those who were weaker than he was.

 

     “Get away from me.” Lynn said, murder in her voice. “I  _ will  _ attack you.”

 

     “Oh, you think you’re so tough.” He said, and Lynn sneered at his tone. “I could take you down in a second.”

 

     Lynn grabbed onto the walls of the narrow staircase (there were many handholds and nooks for fingers in the wood) and she kicked out her feet, landing a solid kick on the man’s cheek. He crumpled to the ground, his nose bleeding as he fell.

 

     “What was it you were saying?” Lynn asked in a cocky tone.

 

      “Bitch.” The man said from the ground, and Lynn smiled.

 

     “Well, I’m not going to argue.” Lynn said, rolling her eyes. She then turned away from the man and sprinted up the stairs, hoping that no one else would disrupt her progress. They would meet the same fate, only the next time Lynn would make sure that her strikes landed harder and left permanent marks.

 

    Lynn ran up the stairs, skipping one as she tried to run faster and faster each time she passed a stair. The tower’s stairs curled around, making it a bit hard for Lynn to keep perfect footing. There was at least an inner wall for her to put her hand against so that she wouldn’t trip and fall. She hated the idea of falling and losing her progress.

 

     Lynn could hear the sound of wood smashing on wood and metal, and knew that she was nearing the top. She ran faster, nearly tripping on her way up. She stood on the top of tower, looking down at the melee below her on the ground. Everything looked so small from her vantage point above the battle, and she smiled as she looked down.

 

    Based on her time with the guards, she suspected that there would be something at the top of the tower that she would need that would help her win against everyone else. She looked around, trying to find something that would tell her that her assumption was correct. 

 

   Lynn’s eyes trained onto a shiny object that was placed on a pedestal on the top of the tower. Lynn saw that it was a part of a tiara, just one small fragment. It had diamonds and some kind of light blue stone on it. Lynn didn’t care to study the so called ‘finer things’ in life. She knew diamonds because of Esme’s description of them.

 

    Lynn pocketed the tiara fragment, throwing in into her pants pocket without a second thought. Lynn looked down from the top, unsure of how she was supposed to get down in a quick manner. She was too high up to jump off, but running down the stairs meant that she might fall.

 

     Lynn looked down the tower and she jumped down a fourth of the way down and dug her fingers and feet into the side of the wall. She threw herself off of the wall and then repeated digging her fingers and feet into the wall. She did it two more times and once again on the ground.

 

     “Get what you wanted, Prodigy?” The man that Lynn had beat up asked in a taunting tone. Lynn ignored him and began to run towards the next tower. She had left her sword at the top of the tower, and was now without a weapon.

 

    Lynn hated being without a sword or, at the very least, a dagger. Lynn brushed her hands on her thighs, trying to shake off the wood chips that were all over her hands from her controlled fall. Looking towards the next tower, Lynn saw that there were already people trying to run up the stairs and take the next prize.

 

    Lynn felt determination well up in her soul, and she ran even faster towards the second tower. She  _ had  _ to get what they were all fighting for, she  _had_ to win.

 

     Her speed was once again a blessing as she was able to run past all of the trainers and fellow guards who wished her harm. What had happened to the whole ‘only thirty guards’ thing? There had to be at least double fighting in front of the second tower alone. Lynn gritted her teeth, unsure if she was happy or angry about all of the new opponents that she would beat.

 

     Lynn got to the opening of the second tower and heard the sounds of fighting above her. She sprinted up the stairs and tried to get to the fight as soon as possible. The sounds of people’s battle cries got louder as she ran farther and farther up the stairs.

 

     When she got to the top of the stairs she saw that the fight had gotten worse since she had first heard it. There was actual blood on the wooden floor of the top of the tower. Noses and fists were bleeding, and Lynn once again missed her sword. Not the fake one, the real one that was sharp enough to cut through armor.

 

     It was a gift from Esme, and it was Lynn’s most prized possession.

 

     None of the fighters were looking at the fragment of tiara on top of the pedestal, they were too busy beating the living shit out of each other. Lynn crept across the edge of the tower, hoping that no one saw her and flung her off of the top of the wooden tower. Lynn walked with bated breath, trying to get to the tiara before someone saw the gleam of the diamonds in the bright light of the sun.

 

     Lynn continued to walk across the edge, hearing the sounds of the battle below her and right next to her at the same time. It was unnerving, but Lynn was dealing with it pretty well. She was only a few footsteps away from the tiara fragment when she was finally noticed.

 

     One of the biggest ad burliest men up on the top of the wooden tower looked up from his fighting and saw that Lynn was standing near the prize that they were all fighting for.

 

     He lunged at Lynn, and Lynn jumped closer to the tiara and farther away from the side of the tower. She looked up to see that everyone was looking at her, and she knew what this meant. Trying to stop her progress would help everyone as a whole.

 

    Lynn  _ was  _ the one of the most talented and hated guards.

 

     “Look, the prize we're fighting for!” Lynn yelled, pointing at the ground behind the fighters. There was nothing there other than a pool of drying blood, but they still fell for it like children.

 

     As soon as everyone’s backs here turned, Lynn seized the opportunity to snatch the tiara fragment. Her hand grasped it and she shoved it in her pocket with the fragment. She could almost hear Esme cheering her on her head, and Lynn smiled.

 

     As soon as her little celebration had ended Lynn’s fellow guardsmen had realized that there was no treasure in the pool of drying blood. They looked back at her, murder clear in their eyes.

 

    “Sorry to go so soon, boys, but I have someplace to be.” Lynn said, giving a two finger salute. “Adios.” 

 

     The edge of the tower was so close to her, and Lynn looked down, feeling just a moment of hesitation of her heat of the moment ‘plan’. Lynn could hear the cries of the fighters that stood behind her. 

 

    Some were calling for her to jump, others not. Some were calling for her to turn around and face them, other were already laughing at how broken up the women in Zeta would be at Lynn’s death. Each call was more malicious and cruel than the last, and the voices cut Lynn's logic like a knife, pushing her closer to the edge of the tower.

 

     As Lynn’s first foot left the edge of the tower, her heart jumped and fear filled her. She felt her body go weak for a second and she fought through the doubt of whether this plan would work. 

 

    The feeling of falling was new to Lynn, she had never fallen this far before, not even in training. The ground was coming faster than what seemed possible. Lynn could hear people scream as she neared the ground at freefall speed.

 

    Lynn grit her teeth and bent her knees, trying to ready herself for the sudden stop when she hit the ground. Her vision swam for a second as she tried to think of something good that would come out of dying. Lynn coolly realized that nothing good would come of it.

 

    All at once, there was a sudden force pushing up on Lynn’s feet. She could feel the grass under her feet, and she felt herself fall forward once again and she was face-planted for a second. Her mouth tasted like dirt for a second, and she could taste blood in her mouth. She could smell it and Lynn worried for a second about what would happen to her injuries.

 

     Lynn picked herself up off of the ground, feeling blood from her nose trickling down her face and neck. The blood stained her clothes and she knew that Esme would ask no less than a hundred questions about who did this and why.

 

     Lynn could only imagine her reaction when she told her that she had just jumped off of a building. The crowds of fighting guards all stood still, making way for Lynn.

 

     The trainers stepped as far out of her way as possible. Lynn focused on putting one foot in front of the other, she just  _ had _ to get to the last tower. She  _ had _ to get the last part, she had to rise up and take Esme up with her. . .

 

    Lynn dropped to her knees, unable to walk on anymore. She crouched on her hands and knees, trying to crawl towards the next tower. If she could only get there. . . But the ground was so nice. It was soft, and it was warm. Lynn let her head fall to the ground, her forehead touching the ground. The rest of her body followed her head’s lead within a second.

 

     Lynn could hear people running towards her, and she could hear people’s voices. But they sounded muddled and odd to her ears.  They tried to move her body, but she didn’t want to be moved. Lynn just wanted to sleep. . .

 

      Lynn let out one more long breath before letting her body relax and sleep.

 

     Jaxson had always said that she could sleep when she was dead.


	2. Anti

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here goes. Jack's and Anti's first chapter, and the first chapter in which an OC isn't the one who is focused on majorly.  
> I wrote this story for my best friend, so I had her preread it for it. If some little things were missed with the grammar, I apologize.  
> Enjoy!

The crumbling walls of the old castle surrounded the prince.

 

     The once valliant and perfectly grey walls stood up to about the prince’s hip. The castle had once been the most amazing thing in a famous and rich kingdom, but now the kingdom was in ruins.

 

    All because of how superstitious they got. They let their minds become feeble from fear, they allowed their beliefs of demons and angels cloud their judgment. The prince sneered at this train of thought, humans were truly weak and pitiful beings.

 

     They allowed things as little as race and religion divide them, they killed their own race because they didn't live on the same side of an imaginary line, they murdered and raped and pillaged. Humans were truly despicable.

 

     “Anti! Come over here, you have to see this!” The prince turned around, hearing his name being called. “I found something that is really cool!”

 

     The prince looked over the dead walls of a near dead kingdom once again, kicking one down just of the hell of it. Anti smiled wickedly and walked towards his companion.

 

    “What was it you wanted to show me, Jack?” Anti asked in a bored tone, trying to see what Jack saw in this place. Jack had called it 'amazing and wonderful' when they had first arrived. All Anti could see were the sins of the past reflected back at him through the ruined castle.

 

      Anti liked how so many deaths had happened on the land of the Thetian castle - he could feel it in the air, all of the lost lives and trapped souls - but Jack had some other sort of love for this place. It was almost unnerving to Anti how much his 'brother' cared for the place where they both stood.

 

     “I wonder what brave warrior wielded this sword?” Jack wondered aloud, lifting an old rusted sword. It looked really good considering that it had been out to the elements for nearly seventeen years now, it had almost made it to eighteen years without being moved or touched by a human hand.

 

     “We'll never know, but they're long since dead.” Anti said in an annoyed tone. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to keep that thing. It is old and rusted, and you have magic besides.”

 

     “Well, it is kind of cool, right?” Jack said, looking at the sword in wonder. “It survived so many years of being here in this ruined castle. I think that it is amazing that it is still here, all in one piece.”

 

     “Yeah, amazing.” Anti said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Jack was like a small child seeing the world for the first time in his life, and Anti was no babysitter.

 

      “Oh, shut up.” Jack said, turning his right palm to the ground, creating a large green rune under Anti’s feet. The rune spelled out ‘fall’ to those who could read runes and use them to cast spells.

 

     Anti fell, crumbling to the ground. He glared up at Jack, making Jack’s skin crawl. Jack hated it when Anti gave him that look. The rune was gone as soon as it had taken effect and Jack could feel the effects of using body throughout his body, it was just a little bit of fatigue that he would have to deal with for a few seconds. 

 

     “Don’t do that.” Anti said in a deadly tone and Jack rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from his best and only friend. Jack nodded, showing his understand that he couldn’t do that again.

 

     “I just want to make sure that I can still use magic, you know?” Jack defended, trying to justify his actions. “I haven’t been able to use it since we left, and I’ve been so  _ bored. _ ”

 

     “Oh, you poor baby.” Anti mocked. “Would you like to go back and die from the prince’s special forces?”

 

     Jack threw up his hands in anger and surrender. Anti knew that Jack hated having to live so close to Zeta, the rival kingdom. Zeta had surpassed Theta just a few years after Theta’s king and queen had died in a freak accident in which the people of Theta had risen up against the monarchs.

 

     Well, that was the story that Anti had given Jack. Jack didn't know the truth, didn't know about the prophecy that said that Anti and Jack were born from the same soul split in two. Jack didn't know that this parents had sent him away to keep him and Theta safe. Jack didn't know how badly they had failed and how funny it had been to those in power in Hell to watch Theta burn.

 

     Anti made sure that Jack didn’t know of his royal lineage, of course. The whole ‘being the prince of a dead kingdom’ might make him want to do something stupid. Like bring Theta back, which was the worst thing that Jack could ever do for Anti and for Theta, or Zeta for that matter. 

 

     Some people just weren’t meant to rule, and Jack was on of those people.

 

      Anti thought about his own home. He was a prince there too, and he fought with a rival kingdom there too. Only this was his home now, since Jack was alive. Anti had something to do, and until Jack was dead and Anti’s mission was accomplished Anti was stuck in Theta with Jack.

 

     It was worse than living in Hell.

 

     And Anti should know, he didn’t exactly come from Heaven and the angels.

 

     “Jack, magic isn’t something that a gifted mage forgets.” Anti said, trying to be consoling in an odd way. “Just don’t try to kill me with it, okay?”

 

     “I couldn’t kill you if I tried.” Jack said, unaware of how true his statement was. It was true that Anti won every fight that he got into with Jack, and Anti was a powerful demon. There was no way a mortal could kill him. “You’re better than I am, brother.”

 

     “That is true.” Anti said, pulling Jack into a headlock, smiling. Jack struggled to free himself, trying to cast some kind of spell to give himself freedom from the headlock. An immobilize rune would have done him well, but he was unable to cast anything.

 

    Anti pushed Jack away from his body, laughing as he did so. Jack recovered quickly and stumbled back with only a few seconds of thinking he might fall. Jack looked back at Anti, resentment clear in his eyes, and Anti gave Jack a simple shrug.

 

     “You’re a fucking bastard, do you know that?” Jack questioned, giving Anti a glare. Anti nodded slowly, and cast a spell, causing a large fly rune to appear under Jack’s feet.

 

     “I know.” Anti grinned, and watched as Jack was thrown into the air by his magic. The black rune Anti cast disappeared as soon as Jack's feet left the ground.

 

     Jack tried to counter the spell, and summoned a fall rune right under his feet and stood on it for a few seconds before activating it and falling to the ground. He put a land rune under his feet just mere inches before he hit the ground, causing no damage to his body from his sudden impact on the ground.

 

     He threw out his right arm, pointing it in the direction of Anti. Under Anti’s feet, a large explode rune was activated. Anti jumped off of the rune before it was activated, and rubble was thrown into the air. Old chunks of stone and metal were thrown into the air from the explosion and they fell to the ground around Anti and Jack.

 

     Anti summoned a black rune under his feet that allowed him to stand his ground, and he dug his feet into the crumbling rock of the castle. He then made an even bigger rune that covered all of the castle’s ruins and caused the stones to explode and be thrown into the air. Anti activated a force field around his body at the last possible second, for dramatic effect.

 

    Jack threw himself up into the air with a flying rune and summoned a force field rune to protect him from the falling rock. Jack saw Anti’s wicked grin as the rock fell all around them, and Jack knew that he had to win this fight. He  _ had  _ to. He was tired of losing to Anti.

 

     Anti put a cancel rune right under Jack’s force field rune and Jack fell to the ground, no long hovering in the air. Jack growled as he fell and summoned another two runes - stop and force field again.

 

    A large green rune took form under Anti’s feet, and Jack was putting all of his energy into the large green rune that he was trying to create. Anti saw that it was too powerful for him to read, and he was puzzled by it. How had Jack learned magic older than the nation that they lived in?

 

     “Jack, what is that?” Anti called over the sound of rocks settling as they hit the ground. Jack looked at Anti, smiling in a way that unsettled Anti. “This rune isn’t one that I know.”

 

      “I know.” Jack grinned, his voice was cocky and excited. Anti tried to cancel the rune that was gaining in size and power under his feet. Anti was shocked to see that no amount of magic could cancel something this large and powerful. Anti called upon his dark powers, but found himself helpless and defenseless against the rune that he couldn't read or understand.

 

     Anti looked up from the ground with fear in his eyes, locking his gaze on Jack’s. Jack gave his friend a wicked smile as the rune grew, slower than before. 

 

    Jack then lowered his hand and activated the rune, and Anti didn’t know what to think. Had Jack finally heard the prophecy? Was Anti’s existence on this planet about to end? Anti closed his eyes, unsure if he should try to fight back. Surly Jack couldn't be this powerful. There was something else here, Anti just knew it.

 

     “I’m sorry, Anti.” Jack said, sounding only partly sorry. “I really have to leave, I have to go and see the world. I really have to, I can’t stay here all locked up for the rest of my life. The world is mine to see, and I want to go and see it.”

 

     “Jack, what are you doing?” Anti asked in a nervous tone. The rune looked almost finished, it only had to be activated fully. Runes and spells had a safeguard in place to stop a spell from being cast, the caster had to  _ want _ to cast it.

 

    Jack thought for a second, trying to choose whether to cast the spell or not. Anti watched as Jack bit his lip and nodded slowly, giving the magic his approval to do what it was made to do to Anti.

 

     “I’m sorry.” Jack whispered and the spell was finally activated. Anti felt like he was being thrown into the air and being pushed back towards the ground all at the same time. It was like the two forces were so strong that they were enough to keep him in one place.

 

    Jack spread his legs apart in a stance that would allow him to absorb shock from falling and then cast a spell, causing a large teleport rune to appear under his feet. Layered under the green teleport rune, a lighter green tracking rune was under it. Anti knew that the runes together meant that he wouldn’t be able to track Jack down after Jack teleported away.

 

    Jack looked at Anti one last time before he teleported away, and Anti didn’t know what to think. Anti knew that he’d have to find Jack again, to let Jack out of his care could be catastrophic. . .

 

    The rune under Jack’s feet got smaller and Jack was gone. The rune that kept Anti in a constant spot in space was losing power, but very slowly. Anti could feel his own power slowly drain from his body. How was this rune even able to exist? It was something Anti had never seen before, so how had Jack learned it? Anti kept a sharp eye on what Jack read and learned.

 

    Jack  _ wasn’t _ powerful enough to cast this just a few days ago. Anti remembered seeing Jack struggle with teleporting even five feet just a week ago. One doesn’t go from failed teleportations spells to using magic that has been dead for centuries.

 

    “What the fuck is going on?” Anti screamed in rage. His anger was enough to push himself out of the rune with minimal effort. It was true that when someone was feeling a strong enough emotion they could break fully out of a spell and break the seal that was put on them, however it is rare and was usually only seen in cases of life and death fights.

 

     Emotions were what fueled magic and runes, and they could also break them if they were using a strong enough emotion the person who was trapped within a rune or spell could break it without much effort.

 

     This was one of those times with Anti’s anger.

 

     Anti tried to think of what to do now that he was standing all alone in the once powerful kingdom of Theta. Theta’s old castle sat in ruins around him and he couldn’t understand what he should do now.

 

     Tracking Jack would be nearly impossible with spell signatures, since Jack had laid down an anti tracking rune. Usually runes will leave a trace when they are cast. It is very important if one wants to track the power that was used to send the caster from one place to the other, along with anyone that they were carrying with them while they were teleporting.

 

    The same could be said for how a caster was feeling when they were casting any kind of spell. If it was cast out of anger, it would register as anger when some read the aftershock of the rune. Some casters would study for years to just be able to cast those spells.

 

    Anti was very skilled, but Jack knew that and had somehow been able to cast the spell that kept Anti in one place right after he had cast two spells right at once.

 

   “What the fuck is going on?” Anti repeated in anger, trying to figure out how Jack had gotten so powerful in such a small amount of time. It was unsettling and nearly impossible. Unless Jack was using some kind of enhancer.

 

     Anti felt his knees buckle. If Jack was able to strengthen his magic with an ancient artifact, Anti was done for the next time that they faced off. There would be nothing left of him but a few broken bones and his large kill count. Anti shuddered to think of returning to Hell without killing Jack and making everything okay for everyone in Hell.

 

     The king of Hell would have Anti’s head.

 

     Anti grit his teeth and felt like ripping someone’s head off. How was anything of this possible? Jack  _ couldn’t _ be this powerful. . .

 

     . . . Could he?

 

     Anti racked his brain, trying to think back to the prophecy that had told of the prince and the darkness. He couldn’t think of anything that said that the prince would be incredibly powerful. Jack had always been a bit of a novice when it came to power and being able to use magic and cast spells. He would often mess up even the simplest of spells, and would have to try very hard to use the most powerful ones. Jack was very underpowered.

 

     Anti looked around, trying to find something that would be able to tell Anti where Jack had gone. Where would Jack want to go if he had the chance? Jack hated being all alone, Anti knew that quite well. Jack would want to go somewhere with lots of people who would be able to explain things to him.

 

     Jack would go to the only large city that Anti had ever told him about, Soul, the capital of Zeta. Other than Soul, there were three other major cities in Zeta that Anti thought were worth remembering.

 

     The first was Our Town, the first city in all of existence. It was almost as big as Soul, due to how old it was. Our Town was on the old boarder of Zeta and Theta, so loyalties could get confusing and annoying when in the city. Some were unhappy about Zeta’s king’s death, and others were calling for Theta to become a kingdom again.

 

     The second very large city was Church’s Keep. It was a very large and very religious city. It had the largest population in all of Zeta, because during the war between Theta’s peasants and noblemen, the refugees of the war were accepted in Church’s Keep. No less than eighty five major religions were based there, and there were hundreds of smaller ones that were based there.

 

     It was a strange place, filled with thieves who only stole for their gods and brothels that wouldn't cater to those who didn’t believe in the same religion that the founder did. Bastards were considered ‘blessed saints’ and whores were to be worshipped and lived the high life. Church’s Keep was also easily the most corrupt city in all of Zeta.

 

     The last major city was simply called Zeta’s Pride. There were thousands of merchants and beggars who lived there. The separation of the rich and poor was so extreme that the city had a rich section and poor section. It was very large trading city, and if you weren’t a merchant in Zeta’s Pride, you were a poor farmer who helped a merchant become rich beyond his wildest dreams.

 

     Zeta’s Pride was a terrible place, more murders happened there than in all of Zeta. Because Zeta’s Pride was so far away from Soul, the king (or in this case prince) didn’t send royal guards to deal with the city. This caused the crime to be so bad that if you didn’t  _ have _ to go to Zeta’s Pride, you didn’t go to Zeta’s Pride.

 

    Anti knew that Jack would only care about going to Soul. Our Town might hold some answers, but he would be killed if he ever entered the city. Church’s Keep was someplace that Jack would never dream of going, as well as Zeta’s Pride.

 

     Jack was the opposite of inconspicuous, he’d be spotted right away. It was only a matter of time before he was killed for being the cursed prince of Theta.

  
     Anti just had to find him first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story so far!


	3. Mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mark's first chapter.  
> Enjoy!

“How did this happen?”

 

     Mark’s voice echoed off of the castle walls outside of the room where Lynn was lying on a bed, not in perfect condition.

 

     “You only have yourself to blame, your majesty.”

 

     “I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier.” Mark said, pinching the bridge of his nose in desperation. Mark looked down at his servant whom Mark kept around for some reason that he couldn’t fathom at his moment.

 

     “I’m just saying.” Bob stated, rolling his eyes. “I mean, if you would have _just once_ not done something in the biggest and most boisterous way, then maybe this wouldn’t be happening.”

 

     “Why didn’t you warn me this might happen?” Mark said, nearly coming to blows with Bob. “You criticize everything I do, why not this?”

 

     “I told you for _days_ that this was a shitty idea.” Bob said, staring up at the ceiling. “We yelled about it like an old married couple. I warned you, Mark.”

 

     “I just wish I would have listened!” Mark said, beginning to pace around the hallway outside of the room that Lynn was in. “I just wish that this wasn’t the way that things happened.”

 

     “Well, you should have just listened to me and none of this would have happened.” Bob said, still looking at the ceiling. The castle had high ceilings, even on the second floor. The stonework was awe inspiring, and Bob could appreciate it.

 

     “What do I do?” Mark asked, seeking guidance from Bob for the first time in a long time. Bob didn’t look at Mark.

 

     “I don’t know.” Bob whispered, closing his eyes. “I don’t think that there is anything you _can_ do. It is just a waiting game at this point, to be honest.”

 

     Mark threw himself to the ground, sitting with his back up against the wall. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to find something inside himself that would give him counsel in this tough chapter of his life.

 

     The prince of Zeta found nothing inside of himself that he could use to help himself get through this. Mark reminded himself again that it wasn’t about him, but about Lynn. She _had_ to make it through this. She was too strong to fall here. She couldn’t die, not here, not now.

 

     “Bob, I don’t think that I can do anything.” Mark whispered, looking up at the ceiling with Bob. Bob nodded slowly, understanding where Mark was coming from. “I guess I just have to wait this one out. . . Again.”

 

    Bob looked at Mark, trying to see inside of Mark’s head. Mark placed his forehead on top of his knees, crumbling in on himself. Bob sighed, not knowing what to do. He had been trained for this, right?

 

     “Mark, calm down.” Bob couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Everything will be okay. Lynn is strong, she won’t fail you.”

 

     “But what if she doesn’t make it through?” Mark asked, a tear running down his face. “I mean, she could be dying. And all so that I could have a flashy marriage proposal.”

 

     “Not one of your best ideas.” Bob said, playfully punching Mark in the arm. Mark nodded slowly and put his head back on the tops of his knees.

 

      “I promise, Bob, if I ever make it through this, I’ll never put her in danger again.” Mark said, and Bob could only imagine what was going through Mark’s head. Bob nodded, and looked back up at the ceiling.

 

     “I don’t think that you can keep her from doing stupid things.” Bob said. “I really think that she is going to jump right out of her bed in that room and run back outside to get the third piece of her tiara.”

 

     Mark chuckled lightly and nodded. “Lynn is her own person, no amount of warning would stop her from doing something if she put her mind to it.”

 

     “I can relate to dealing with stubborn and stupid people.” Bob said, rolling his eyes while he looked up at the ceiling. “Really, Mark, your kids are going to be the most stubborn fucking people in the world.”

 

    “Yeah, I guess they will be.” Mark said, wiping the tears out of his eyes and getting himself ready for meeting with Lynn the second that she woke up. “Just, don’t tell her the whole reason for the thing that nearly killed her, okay, Bob? She _kind_ of hates you.”

 

    Bob threw up his hands and began to laugh, looking at Mark. “I can only imagine what brought that on. I mean, I only spied on her for you since we were like fucking ten.”

 

     “Yeah.” Mark said, blushing slightly. He thought of how he had loved Lynn since he first saw her when they were only ten, and how Mark had made Bob go and spy on her. Bob wasn’t exactly nice or friendly when spying, meaning that Lynn hated and distrusted him.

 

     “Look, this girl seems to be too much to take care of.” Bob said, looking back up at the ceiling. “It seems like you’ll be taking orders for the rest of your life if you marry her, Mark. Sure you want to do this?”

 

    “Yeah.” Mark said, hearing the joking tone of Bob’s voice. There was going to be something dumb about to be said, it was only a matter of time. . .

 

    “I guess she’ll always be on top.” Bob laughed, looking at Mark. Mark growled and gave Bob the finger, feeling like he wanted to punch Bob.

 

    “You’re the worst.” Mark grumbled. He tried to remember why he even kept Bob around in the first place. There wasn’t a reason anymore, not really. Bob had just been here so long, Mark wondered if Bob had anywhere else to go.

 

    “You know it’s true.” Bob said, jabbing Mark with his elbow right between the ribs. Mark didn’t meet his friend’s gaze, and kept his eyes trained on the ground.

 

    “I just wish she would wake up.” Mark groaned, growing impatient. It had been like this for a few hours now, just Mark and Bob sitting outside of Lynn’s room, waiting for her to wake up. Mark was beginning to wonder if it would be possible to run in and kiss Lynn and see if she woke up.

 

    “She’s already making you wait.” Bob said, and Mark raised an eyebrow at his comment, not sure if it was supposed to be dirty or not. Mark sighed and closed his eyes, pressing his head against his knees again.

 

    Mark took this time to think about some things that he had been worried about lately, and he felt the worry trickle down into his stomach. He remembered that he was being coronated as king of Zeta in just one short week, no more prince of Zeta for Mark.

 

    Once he was king, there wouldn’t be any more games, just real work. Zeta had been without a proper king for years now, leaving nothing but advisors and Mark making a few decisions here and there, but nothing huge. Now he was going to be king. . . It was almost impossible to fathom.

 

    And then Lynn. Mark hoped that Lynn would be happy to marry him, and then they’d have a ceremony and everything would be perfect. Then Mark would lead his people, with Lynn by his side, and everything would be perfect.

 

     There would be nothing that could ever come between Mark and Lynn, nothing could come between Mark and his future, it was practically set in stone.

 

    “I just want this to all end so that my life can start!” Mark exclaimed, interrupting the stillness in the hallway. No one other than Bob and Mark were in it, of course, but the stillness was peaceful until Mark shattered it.

 

    “Just. . . I don’t know, know that everything will work out okay in the end.” Bob said, trying to console Mark. Mark ran his ran his hands through his hair and sighed, knowing that Bob was right. But waiting was still killing Mark from the inside out.

 

    “I want everything to be okay, you know?” Mark said. Bob nodded along, mostly because he had to. It was pretty much in Bob’s job description to just nod along with Mark.

 

    Bob loved his job, he had been running around with Mark since they were little kids. Bob’s parents were nobles, and they had used their influence to get Bob the job, but Mark didn’t seem to care. Who didn’t want to spend all day with their greatest friend?

 

    “It wouldn’t hurt if I just walked in, right?” Mark said, standing up and walking the two steps to the door that Lynn was behind.

 

     Mark put his hand on the doorknob, wondering if he should open the door or not for a solid minute before finally turning the doorknob and pushing the door with his shoulder to open it.

 

     The room was good sized, and there were no less than seven doctors running from end of the room to the other to try to treat Lynn’s injuries. There were mages scattered here and there, along with anyone who knew anything about herbs and medicine. When the future king needs something done, you answer the call.

 

    “How are things going?” Mark asked with bated breath. Everyone in the room turned to face Mark, and he saw the fear in their eyes about why the prince was checking up on them.

 

    “Very good, your majesty.” The head doctor of the castle said, bowing deeply. Mark heard footsteps behind him and he turned around to see Bob was walking up right behind him and right into the room.

 

    “How is she?” Mark asked, quieter than before. No one within the room moved, they were each scared out of their minds. “Is she going to make it?”

 

    “Yes, we think that she will.” The head doctor said quickly, taking Mark by the arm and leading him back out of the room. Mark took one last look at Lynn, seeing the bloodstains on her clothes and the faint shade of red in her hair.

 

     “Do I really have to go?” Mark asked, losing all of his fight when he saw Lynn. She looked so weak, nothing like the girl that Mark had fallen in love with. “I just want to see her, please.”

 

     “Yes, you _do_ have to go, you majesty.” The head doctor said, pushing Mark out of the room. The other doctors and mages began to move around again, scurrying around Lynn and trying to treat her for normally life threatening injuries.

 

     “Okay.” Mark resigned. Mark could hear Bob back tracking behind him, and Mark could only imagine how weak he looked to these people. But all Mark could think of was how this was what his parents would have looked like when. . .

 

    Mark ran out of the room, throwing the head doctor’s hand off of his body. Mark didn’t know where he was going, but anywhere that wasn’t near Lynn was the best place to be. He didn’t think that he would be able to take looking at her while she was in that state.

 

    Mark heard Bob yelling from behind him, both calming things and slurred insults. Mark could only imagine how appalled the doctors and mages were at Bob’s behavior. Yelling at the future king wasn’t a smart idea.

 

    Mark could feel something break inside his heart as he thought of his parents and Lynn, would he have to bury her in the same place? She was supposed to be royalty, Mark was sure that Esme would want Lynn to be buried someplace peaceful and happy.

 

     Mark soon reached the main hall of the castle. The windows were dark, only the moon came through the windows. The full moon filled the hall with light, making it simpler for Mark to see than if there wasn’t a moon in the window. Mark knew that the longer that Lynn was laying there, the higher the probability was that Lynn wouldn’t make it through.

 

    Mark felt the rich rugs under his feet, and he could see the gold gilding in the hall, but none of it meant anything to him. He just wanted Lynn back, he would do anything to get her back and living and yelling at making all of the men in the royal guard angry.

 

     Mark wanted to go back to when they were little, when Mark was told to go out and hold a tournament for someone who wanted to be an apprentice for the royal guard. Mark remembered looking out at the fifty ten and eleven year olds. Mark remembered seeing only two girls. One was beat up, clearly a farm girl.

 

    The other was Lynn, with clothes that were dirty and her face was just as bad. But under it, she was. . . Mark didn’t have words for it then, and he still didn’t have words for it now. There were no words to say for how beautiful Lynn was.

 

    Mark fell to his knees, feeling everything inside break. Not just his heart, but his mind. He couldn’t think, there was nothing left in his life if Lynn didn’t make it through.

 

    “I just wanted everything to be okay.” Mark cried, tears falling down his cheeks.

 

     “Is your want so great that you’ll trade away your soul?” Mark heard a voice say behind him, and Mark turned around quickly, wishing that he had a sword or something to defend himself with.

 

    “Who are you?” Mark asked, looking at a man who was now standing in front of him. He was tall with dark black hair and the clearest blue eyes that Mark had ever seen. The man carried himself like royalty, the way that Mark knew he should carry himself.

 

     The man laughed darkly and shook his head at Mark’s question. “You don’t need to know who I am, Mark.”

 

    “How do you know my name?” Mark asked, taking a step away from the man. The man just smiled wider at Mark, and Mark felt his skin crawl at the man’s smile.

 

    “I just know.” The man said, smiling even bigger than before. “Call me, Anti, okay?”

 

    “Anti?” Mark questioned, raising an eyebrow. “That isn’t a normal name.”

 

     “And Mark is a really fucking common name.” Anti countered. Mark took another step back, he saw that Anti wasn’t as into jokes as Bob was.

 

     “Can you help me?” Mark asked, growing impatient. Anti looked at Mark with malicious happiness.

 

    “Yes, yes I can help you.” Anti said. “Just one little price to pay, really.”

 

     “Anything.” Mark vowed, thinking only of Lynn. He _had_ to save her, whatever it took.

 

    “That girl in that room that you ran out of, she won’t make it.” Anti said, and Mark choked off a sob. “She will make it to morning before dying. The injuries are just too much. But I can save her.”

 

    “How?” Mark asked, growing suspicious. Mark didn’t even know this man, how could he trust him with the love of his life without even knowing him?

 

     “Does it really matter?” Anti asked, staring into Mark’s eyes with an intense look. “I can save her, what more do you need to know?”

 

    Mark thought about it for a second. Lynn had to live, he couldn’t live without her, and the kingdom couldn’t take another dead king. . . Mark couldn’t think, he just needed Lynn back. She might have never really noticed him, but he needed her.

 

    “I’ll do it. Whatever it takes.” Mark begged, taking a step towards Anti. “I’ll do anything, just give me my Lynn back. Please.”

 

    “Lynn’s health and life in exchange for your soul.” Anti said, speaking plainly. “When you die, you get to spend time with me in Hell. Pretty simple.”

 

    Mark thought about it for a second. Mark didn’t even know who the Hell this person was, it wasn’t like he was the Devil. But he could be. . . Mark didn’t know what to do. Mark thought about living without Lynn, and he couldn’t think of a happy life without her.

 

    “I’ll do it.” Mark said, summoning all the courage he required. He could feel every single bone in his body fighting against what he was saying.

 

    “Are you sure?” Anti asked, raising an eyebrow. Mark bit his lip, and then nodded. “If you’re sure, then I just need something from you as leverage, as to make sure you won’t hurt me later.”

 

     “Okay.” Mark hesitated for a second, and he tried to think of something that he could give to Anti as leverage. “What do you want?”

 

    “I want you to go after the prince of Theta.” Anti said, noting Mark’s look of confusion.

 

    “The prince of Theta is dead.” Mark said, not sure what to think of Anti. It wasn’t like Mark could kill someone who was already in the ground. “I can’t kill someone who is already dead, demon.”

 

     “I can assure you, he is very much alive.” Anti glared at Mark, angry that Mark would talk back and doubt him. “I need him dead. Killing him is imperative to my plans, you must understand that. If you can fulfill this wish of mine, then everything you want - a domestic life with that dying girl back there, a happy life and thriving kingdom - will be yours.”

 

    “Aren’t you going to take something away? Isn’t that how these deals work?” Mark asked, confused at what Anti wanted him to do.

 

    “No. I just want you to kill the prince of Theta, his name is Jack and he has bright green hair.” Anti spoke clearly and slowly, as if Mark were a small child who needed everything explained to him in short sentences. “Jack stands out in a crowd, you’ll know it is him.”

 

    “Why do you want me to kill him?” Mark asked, worried about taking someone’s life. “I don’t think that I could kill anyone.”

 

    “You don’t have to be the one to kill him, he just has to die.” Anti waved his hand at Mark, dismissing the thought of Mark killing anyone. “And one last thing.”

 

    “What?” Mark asked, beginning to get annoyed at Anti’s conditions for saving Lynn’s life. Couldn’t he just say a magic work and make her stand up and walk and talk again?

 

     “You will bear a mark of our deal.” Anti said, examining his fingernails. “Something that all will see, something that will show that you’ve sold your very _soul_ just to have something in this world you believe that you cannot live without.”

 

    “Where?” Mark asked through gritted teeth. Mark couldn’t live without Lynn, it was impossible to imagine life without her.

 

    “How about. . . I don’t know.” Anti seemed astonished by not knowing, and Mark resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Anti was just  _such_ a jackass, it almost made Mark sick.

 

    Mark and Anti stood facing each other for a few moments in total silence. Mark watched as Anti’s face contorted into a evil smile as Anti looked at Mark’s hair.

 

    “How about your hair?” Anti said, laughing like a madman. Anti held out his hand, hovering it a few inches away from Mark’s forehead, and Mark felt a terrible pain in his head begin to blossom in his temples. Mark had never felt such a terrible pain - it felt like his head was imploding and exploding all at the same time while white hot paid coursed through Mark's blood.

 

    Mark held his head in his hands, feeling pain shoot through his head. The pain got worse each second, until Mark’s knees buckled, and Mark fell to the ground. Mark couldn’t even cry out the pain was so bad, and Mark could see his vision swimming. Mark felt totally and completely helpless, like prey that was at the mercy of a smarter, faster predator that only wished to play with the dumber, weaker prey.

 

    After a minute of pure suffering, Mark’s pain went away all at once. Mark looked up to see Anti smiling down at himself, and Mark wasn’t sure what to do.

 

    “Is she alive?” Was all Mark could think to ask, and Anti nodded slowly.

 

     Mark got up from the ground and quickly walked towards where Lynn was, all he wanted was to see her, to know that she was okay.

 

    “She’ll be up and walking in a few days.” Anti called from behind Mark. “Oh, and Mark?”

 

    “Hmm?” Mark asked, stopping dead in his tracks and turning to face Anti.

 

     “Actually, no.” Anti hesitated, laughing to himself. “I won’t tell you. It’ll be _much_ funnier when you find out on your own.”

 

    Mark gave Anti one last glance and then broke into a run to see Lynn, concerned only with seeing his true love.

 

   Then everything would be okay.

  
    Right?


	4. Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After fighting with Anti, Jack has left Theta for the first time in his life and finds himself in the capitol city of Zeta, Soul. However, Jack fears he may have made a grave mistaking leaving his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been forever since I've added to this story, so here is a chapter.

Jack pulled his cloak closer to his body, trying to find some kind of comfort in the familiar, dark green fabric.

 

    He stood in a small alleyway in Soul, the capital city of Zeta. Jack grimaced at his mistake of coming here. Of all the places he could have gone, why here?

 

   The way that Anti had described the city, it sounded amazing, like it was something out of a storybook. Kings and queens, knights and mages were said to be roaming the streets while merchants sold their gilded trinkets to rich townsfolk. The roads were filled with happy, caring people who were overjoyed to help someone new to Soul and the city's night sky sparkled with stars of every color. Every time that Anti told Jack about Soul, Jack wanted to go there more and more each time, to see what was beyond the boring walls of the tower that he had lived in his whole life.

 

    And, after years of begging, Jack had been able to leave with Anti. They travelled three miles to the capital city of what was once the kingdom of Theta, and that was where everything changed for Jack. Who would have known that the old, broken, rusted sword Jack picked up had been attached to the soul of a ghost, and that picking up the sword would allow the ghost to exist freely in the world?

 

    “How are you doing, Jack?” A voice asked from the darkest corner of the alley. To anyone but Jack, that would have been creepy, but Jack knew who was hiding from him.

 

    “Things are good, Wade.” Jack said, giving a crooked smile to the shy ghost. Wade stepped out from the darkness and Jack’s eyes focused on the ghost now that he stood in the light.

 

    “You don’t seem to like it here.” Wade said in a concerned tone, clearly caring for Jack’s mental and physical health. “Maybe we can go back to the tower, I don’t think that Anti will follow us back there. He wouldn't think we would go back, since you wanted so badly to get away from that place for so many years.”

 

    “But he might come back, and then we'd meet again.” Jack said, closing his eyes and leaning up against the wall of a bakery that created half of the alleyway. The other building was an inn that seemed to cater to some shady customers. "Not sure if your magic would allow me to fight him and win for a second time. I'm sure he's already figured out I had some help with those spells I used, and he has probably figured out how to shake them off by now."

 

    “What if we go back and he isn't there though? Don't you want to know what would happen if we were able to go back without resistance?” Wade asked, smiling at Jack. Jack scoffed, Wade was trying way too hard to see the bright side right now. Jack didn’t know what to say, he didn’t want to hurt Wade’s feelings, but at the same time, he just wanted to make sure that Wade knew that they were never going back.

 

    “I’m not willing to take that chance.” Jack said, keeping his eyes closed to the busy streets that he was surrounded by. There was almost too much hustle and bustle, too many people in one place. “We just have to figure out who the ruler is here in Zeta, then we can talk about restoring Theta to its former glory. Once we've done that, then we can go back home. Until then, we have to focus on the matter at hand."

 

    “Why do we have to resurrect Theta?” Wade huffed, not wanting to play the politics game. It was, after all, the thing that had gotten him killed by demons in the first place. “I think that you’ve done enough for that kingdom, Jack. I died for the damn place, why should we bring it back?”

 

    “Wade. . .” Jack ledged, knowing that Wade would buckle down on the pressure to not disappoint Jack. Jack was the person who somehow knew the spell to free Wade from the prison that was the sword that Jack had picked up in the ruins of the palace in Theta.

 

    “Fine.” Wade said, and Jack opened his eyes to see Wade look away from him. Wade sighed angrily, saying something that Jack couldn’t make out, it sounded like Wade was saying something about Jack getting himself killed from his ignorance.

 

    “Look, Wade, I just want everything to go back to normal.” Jack said, meaning every word he said. “I want things to go back to how they were before I was born. I want there to be  _ two _ huge kingdoms and lots of riches in them, and people living happily. Yeah, it might not been perfect, but we can make it work.”

 

    “Two kingdoms means war, Jack.” Wade said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “I’ve seen happen it once before. Please don’t do this.”

 

    “I have to, Wade.” Jack said with determination in his voice. “It’s my fault that everything fell apart. I have to undo it.”

 

    Wade nodded slowly, and looked at his hands, sighing. Jack was happy that Wade wasn’t fighting with him on this topic. Jack didn’t like fighting with Wade (they had only known each other for about sixteen hours now, and had fought twice. Jack hated doing it each time, Wade was just too polite).

 

    “Just be careful, okay?” Wade begged quietly, knowing what would happen if war broke out within a kingdom or when two kingdoms couldn’t get along.

 

    “Another reason that I have to try.” Jack said, and Wade was confused. “I’ve had nothing else to do, I don’t  _ know _ how to be careful. This is going to be the ultimate learning experience.”

 

    “You’re crazy.” Wade said, taking a step away from Jack, causing Jack to grin. Jack shrugged and laughed a little.

 

    “You’re just noticing?” Jack asked, winking at Wade.

 

    “Theta is going to have a  _ great _ leader.” Wade snarked quietly, sarcasm dripping on every word. It wasn’t rude, just a joke. Jack smiled at Wade, happy to have him around. Jack thought about how boring and lonely the trip would have been if he had come alone a few times while walking around Zeta, and was happy that he had Wade around.

 

    “Well, I’m going to have you around to help me.” Jack replied, smiling. Wade nodded, understanding Jack’s want to have someone around who knew how to lead when Jack finally brought Theta up from the ashes. “Everything will be fine.”

 

    “I hope so.” Wade said, his voice sincere. He looked to the busy city street, where across the street candles were being lit in windows as darkness fell over the city like a thick blanket. 

 

     People bustled around the streets, making the place seem almost claustrophobic with nowhere for people to go when they needed to be alone and away from the sight and smell of other human beings. Doctors and mages were not among the people who were walking through the streets, and Jack and Wade believed that they knew the reason that they couldn't see any highly educated healers walking the streets of Soul.

 

     Wade and Jack had heard rumors of the prince (soon to be king) needing all of the doctors and mages to report to the castle to help with someone who was about to die. Jack could only imagine that it was someone who the prince needed alive for some selfish reason or another. Royalty never did anything that they didn’t need to for the people that they ruled. Jack wanted to change that trend, starting with raising his kingdom back up for the good of his people, not for the good of himself.

 

    It was hard to believe that he had only known about his royal heritage for sixteen hours, since Jack had met Wade. Wade, who had been killed during the war that ensued after Jack’s birth, wanted to help the ‘good prince’ as he called Jack so that Wade could take down the ‘evil prince’ (these were Wade’s terms, not Jack’s).

 

    Since then, Jack knew about how his parents had tried to kill anyone who wanted their son dead because of the old legend about the evil and good princes. They called upon the lords and ladies and knights to kill any person - no matter who they were - that wanted the young prince dead.

 

    The war that ensued only lasted three days, but two thirds of Theta’s population had died during that time. Jack was then carried off in the care of an old mage who would teach Jack how to use magic and give Jack a fake story about being the youngest son from a poor family who had left their infant son on the doorstep of the old mage. The king and queen made a deal with this mage that nothing should ever happen to their son, and in return the mage could have all the riches he wanted from Theta. The mage agreed, and Jack was carried away in the midst of short yet terrible battle many years ago.

 

    Somehow, Jack was able to live. Jack remembered when he was only ten the old man who took care of him had died, and Jack had to bury him and mourn him all alone. Jack still missed his old mentor and parental figure, then Anti came into Jack’s life.

 

    And, as Wade had explained, Anti was the ‘evil prince’ that was in the prophecy that the people of Theta had believed in. The same prophecy that had caused the fall of Theta after the citizens stormed the castle to kill Jack while he was still just hours old.

 

     It was funny, Jack could remember when he was little how much he wanted to be someone important to the world. Someone with a story, someone with parents and with a place to call home, someplace to go back to when he was sad or angry or hurt. Now that Jack knew everything about his life, he felt almost empty. It didn’t feel like his story anymore, he almost wanted to go back to being the youngest son of a poor family.

 

    He was the reason that Theta fell. If he hadn’t been born, then things would have been okay. So many people wouldn't have died, Theta and Zeta would both be large and prosperous. Jack knew that it was dumb to think it, but he almost wished that he hadn’t been born. Maybe Wade wouldn’t be dead right now if he wasn’t born.

 

    Jack knew that killing himself wouldn’t help anything, the only thing that would work would be killing Anti. Jack knew that he had to do it, for everyone who died when Theta fell. He had to make things right, even if it killed him in the process. He had to try and make things right again, he couldn't just sit idly by and allow bad things to happen to the good people of both Zeta and Theta.

 

    “Where to next?” Jack asked, looking to Wade. Wade shrugged and thought about Jack’s question for a second.

 

     “Well, first of all we need to work out finding and creating a meeting with the prince.” Wade said, counting out everything that they needed to do on his fingers. “Secondly we need to talk to him about Anti, and lastly we talk about how you’re the true prince of Theta, and that you want to talk about starting up Theta again. All the while being peaceful and civil.”

 

     “You take all of the fun out of it with peacefulness and civility.” Jack joked with a smile, and Wade didn’t return the smile.

 

    “Jack, this is a serious matter.” Wade said in a soft but firm voice. “Please try to understand that this could make or break raising Theta from the ashes.”

 

    “Why do we even need to see if Zeta is okay with raising Theta again?” Jack asked like a small child who was asking why he needed to do something he didn’t want to do. “Can’t we just say ‘fuck it’ and go build Theta up from the ashes?”

 

    “And start a war in the process?” Wade asked, raising an eyebrow. “Zeta didn’t like how powerful Theta once was, and we can’t just start up the only kingdom that survived the Revolution of Old from the ashes without gaining some publicity.”

 

     “Can’t we just poison the prince? That would end all of our issues, wouldn’t it?” Jack asked, looking at his feet. “That is simpler, isn’t it?”

 

     “No.” Wade said, face palming and shaking his head. “I know because your father tried that, and it didn’t go over well.”

 

    “He sounds like he knew what he was doing.” Jack defended quietly.

 

     “He killed your mother in the end, Jack.” Wade reminded Jack in a whisper. “No one of the old Theta monarchy should have been ruling, yet somehow they were. It was a blessing that I was on their staff, I kept Zeta at bay and I made sure that no one starved to death.”

 

    “Right.” Jack whispered, looking away from Wade. “Then we will just have to try better, I guess. I won’t repeat the mistakes of the past, I promise that I won’t.”

 

    “Promising is only half the battle, Jack.” Wade reminded Jack, and Jack sighed. "Following through on those promises is a whole different matter."

 

     “Then let’s get the other part of the battle over with already.” Jack begged. Jack and Wade’s eyes met and Wade nodded slowly to show Jack that they could start now and Jack smiled.

 

    “ _ But _ ,” Wade started, “I will not allow you to do anything stupid, okay?”

 

    “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jack replied, waving the ghost off with an anxious hand. Wade sighed, hoping that Jack would be able to take his advice to heart and not do anything stupid to provoke anyone in Zeta.

 

     “Look, just go slow, okay?” Wade begged as Jack pulled his cloak’s hood down and ran his dirt covered hands through his hair.

 

     Jack continued to run his dirt covered hands through his hair, making it looked darker and darker until almost no green was visible. Wade had suggested to Jack that he try to blend in even if his hood fell off, and that meant Jack had to make his hair look less green and more normal. Dirt was. the best way to accomplish this task, though Jack hoped that he could find some spell at some point that would allow him to make his hair permanently brown

 

    “Wade, you’ll be with me the whole time.” Jack reminded the worrisome ghost in a gentle voice. “Everything will be fine. Nothing could go wrong.”

 

    “I hope so.” Wade said, unsure about how to feel about Jack talking to the prince of Zeta. Theta’s internal war  _ had _ killed the former king and queen of Zeta, after all. Wade could only guess how the new heir to the Zeta throne would feel about meeting the reason his parents were dead in the flesh before him, trying to raise up the kingdom that had murdered his parents in the first place.

 

     When the war in Theta got too much for the peasants and commoners to handle, they had moved away. Most of them fled to Church’s Keep, but some went right to Soul to try and keep their status alive. There were a few vigilantes and former soldiers who attacked the king and queen of Zeta, and they almost killed the young prince of Zeta, who was just a few weeks older than the prince of Theta.

 

    They succeeded and both of the kingdoms mourned their fallen leaders, and Theta fell once and for all. Nothing would ever be the same, Wade knew, and that was when he was killed. Somehow, during Wade’s death, his soul was bonded to the sword that Jack had picked up in the ruins of the old palace of Theta. Wade didn't understand how the powerful magic had worked, only that it was demonic in nature. It was the only explanation, and Wade was very convinced that it had something to to with Anti, the demon who had been following Jack around from his birth.

 

     However, while his soul was bonded to the sword, Wade would be alive and well as a ghost as long as the magical connection wasn't severed and the sword wasn't totally destroyed. This meant that the ghost could fight with reckless abandon, it wasn't like anyone would guess that his soul was bonded to the old, rusted sword at Jack's hip.

 

    “Okay, let’s go.” Jack said, grinning widely before shaking his now dark brown hair one more time and pulling his hood up over his head and face. “I’m tired of waiting.”

 

    “Let’s go, your majesty.” Wade whispered unenthusiastically, disappearing into thin air where no one could see him, but he could still affect objects if he wanted to. Wade loved being able to choose whether or not people could see him, and he wished he had possessed the skill back when he was alive. Sadly, he had never been able to perfect the invisibility spell that had had read so much about.

 

    “I'm going to bring back my kingdom!” Jack yelled, throwing his fist into the air. "For Theta!"

 

      "Quit being so loud! Anyone could hear you.” Wade yelled at Jack's loud voice, smacking Jack on the back of the head like a mother disciplining her child. "For shame."

 

    “For Theta.” Jack said in a quieter voice, and Wade nodded slowly in approval.

 

     “Better.” Wade nodded.

 

    The two turned to the opening of the alley and Jack took began to walk out into the large city of Soul, intent on bringing his kingdom back from the ashes that it had burn itself in.


End file.
